We can no longer afford earmarks

7:05 PM Saturday, March 13, 2010

We can no longer afford earmarks

This letter is in response to the front page article of Feb. 19, “U.S. Rep to review earmark stance.”

My response is, “Thank you Congressman Austria, please hold your ground!” We can no longer accept or afford this buying of votes for the sake of winning re-election at home. This technique of skimming our money by connected committee members in Congress before any request receives full legislative scrutiny must be stopped.

Either a funding request can stand congressional scrutiny and be a part of the budget process, or it cannot. Our budget deficit is fueled in part by this profligate spending. Money directed to pet projects should have remained in local communities in the first place and not flushed through Washington and returned to us in exchange for support.

Ken Brust

Springfield

Easier to educate litterers than birds

I am surprised to hear so many complaints about bird droppings downtown when hardly anyone complains about the blight of garbage and litter blowing around the streets, parking lots, sidewalks, and abandoned lots.

The crow problem is seasonal (affected by migration) and will soon be alleviated by Mother Nature — there’s little the city can do. On the other hand, the problem of citizens littering in their own community is one which can be remedied with personal responsibility, some dedicated effort and public education.

Every time I see a cigarette butt flipped out of a car window, or a fast-food cup dancing down the sidewalk in the wind, I grimace. Those who think it’s “no big deal” clearly don’t realize that tens of thousands of “no big deals” are strewn about our streets.

I sincerely hope that folks can learn to treat their trash more responsibly and put it where it belongs. I also hope that all citizens concerned with our city’s appearance will be willing to come out when the weather improves and participate in the Great American Cleanup, March 1 through May 31. That’s a practical beautification effort the city can really get behind!

Carly Compton

Springfield

Mom can search for commies elsewhere

After reading a letter by Michele Libor of Collegeville, Pa., who is a parent of a Cedarville University student. I wondered who this Jim Wallis was. He was scheduled to speak at the college last week. So I Googled him.

He was raised in an Evangelical family and active in the civil rights movement. It did say he is more to the evangelical left. Mr. Wallis has been involved in an interfaith effort to end poverty.

Here’s the kicker: He was invited by Sen. Harry Reid to give the Democrats’ weekly radio address in 2006. He spoke about the importance of moral leadership in Washington.

He was arrested 22 times for civil disobedience, mostly during the civil rights movement.

Libor says “conservatives love free speech” and that “Wallis advocates communism.”

Wallis seems like he is someone who has some different views than you would associate with Cedarville College. But he is still an evangelical, and nothing I read about this man showed he was connected with communism, a word commonly used now for anyone who doesn’t conform to another’s ideology.

To demand that someone not be allowed to speak is the closest thing to communism and censorship.

Celia Runkle

Springfield

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